Although scientists have known for a long time that Mars has ice at its northern poles, there was no evidence of liquid water until now.
Advertisement
Researchers measured the spectral signatures of hydrated minerals on the planet’s slopes where mysterious, possibly water-related streaks are found. Lujendra Ojha first discovered the streaks in 2010 when he was a University of Arizona undergraduate.
Earlier in 2008, scientists had confirmed finding frozen water on planet Mars.
“There have been no evidence for water until now”, said Michael Meyer, the lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA.
The discovery has come using data gathered by Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.
The dark images are of Mars’ perchlorates, or hydrated salts that are beneath the surface of Mars. The water’s salt content is important, because without it the water would freeze in Mars’ exceptionally cold climate. The salty water then flows downhill on the planet’s sloping geological features and leaves a darkish mark on the surface.
Nasa’s discovery of water on Mars “points to environments that could potentially be habitable to certain kinds of bacteria”, according to an expert.
NASA researchers did say that now that it knows what it is looking for it could direct instruments on other Mars landers or orbiters to try and look further at the dark streaks.
In celebration of the announcement by scientists that flowing water is nearly definitely present on the surface of Mars, today’s Google Doodle shows Mars enjoying a large glass of the stuff.
In this new study, scientists have intensively studied and examined a few curious lines on steep slopes, making up salty brine water streaks. “We’re trying to answer fundamental questions about our universe, about our home planet, about our solar system”.
NASA’s study, published in Nature Geoscience, explains something called the recurring slope lineae, or RSL, which are dark, streaky streams that typically appear on the planet’s surface during the warmer seasons.
Advertisement
“Our rovers has taken soil samples and we’ve found them to be moist and full of water”.
